The two-year AIBA ban on coach Blas Iglesias Fernandez and his subsequent departure for home will not affect Indian boxing much as the sport will move on, Commonwealth Games gold medal-winning pugilist Akhil Kumar asserted Tuesday.

Inside the ring, the men and women who mattered gave their blood, sweat and tears to conquer adversity with elan but outside, sparring for power continued to cast a shadow on Indian boxing in a year which was sparkling in parts but also blighted by some unsavoury controversies.

Despite all the clamouring for help and recent open support from Sachin Tendulkar, Laishram Sarita Devi's plight is becoming hopeless, and thus reducing the pride of Indian boxers, their dignity and the right to protest.

As L Sarita Devi awaits "strict punishment" for refusing to accept her Asian Games medal after a controversial loss, the veteran has found support from the biggest name in Indian boxing, Vijender Singh, who feels the world body should review its officials' conduct instead of banning her.

Olympic medallist MC Mary Kom on Tuesday said she would take around two months time to recover from the hamstring injury, that has kept her out of the Women's World Boxing Championship at Jeju, South Korea, to be held from November 13 to 25.

Slamming AIBA's decision to not only hand provisional suspension to boxer Laishram Sarita Devi but also India's Asiad chef-de-mission Adille J. Sumariwalla, Indian Olympic Association (IOA) Secretary General Rajeev Mehta has said that the move is an insult to the nation.

Commonwealth Games silver-medallist L Devendro Singh (49kg) entered the prequarters after getting a walkover but Manoj Kumar (64kg) bowed out with an opening round loss on a mixed day for Indian boxers at the Asian Games here today.

Comeback-man Akhil Kumar (60kg) pummelled his Nepalese rival Purna Bahadur Lama before notching up a Technical Knockout triumph while Shiva Thapa (56kg) merely had to show up to enter the second round as Indian boxers began their Asian Games campaign on a winning note here on Wednesday.

Mired in controversies and postponed once, the much-anticipated elections to put in place India's new boxing federation will be overseen by an observer from the International Boxing Association (AIBA) to ensure that free and fair polls are conducted on September 11.

The IOA-appointed ad-hoc committee, currently overseeing some affairs of Indian boxing, on Thursday fixed the Senior National Championships for both men and women in November even as state units voiced their concerns about the upcoming elections to constitute a new federation.

All but written off after a string of injuries wrecked havoc on his career four years ago, enigmatic boxer Akhil Kumar Wednesday staged a remarkable comeback to make the 10-member Indian men's team for the Asian Games scheduled to be held from September 19 in Incheon, Korea.

With the mess in country's boxing administration lingering on, the Sports Authority of India (SAI) Wednesday said that the top pugilists may not be able to compete in the upcoming Asian Games under the national flag if the elections are not held as per schedule next month.

Left isolated internationally due to the administrative mess at home, Indian boxers` proven track record of excelling in extreme adversity will be put through a severe test when they start their campaign in the 20th Commonwealth Games here on Friday.

Indian boxing coaches on Thursday heaved a sigh of relief after the Glasgow Commonwealth Games organisers confirmed, under the direction of world body AIBA, that they can sit with their wards during the bouts.

She ousted none other than Olympic bronze-medallist M C Mary Kom to make the Commonwealth Games-bound Indian team but far from revelling in the new-found attention, Pinki Jangra says she has begun to feel the pressure of delivering a medal after her giant-slaying act in the trials.

Indian boxing is staring at a crisis of talent due to the ongoing international termination as it has severely damaged the domestic structure which throws up new pugilists, feels the country`s first Commonwealth Games gold-medallist and national selector Mohammad Ali Qamar.

It`s an event where India`s medal count has only gone up with each edition and even though the current circumstances are the worst for Indian boxing, a group of seven boys and three girls is confident of delivering the nation`s best-ever show in the AIBA World Youth Championships.

In what would come as a massive shot in the arm for Indian boxing, the promising duo of Shiva Thapa and Sumit Sangwan has signed up for Team USA in the World Series of Boxing, making them the first from the country to compete for a foreign outfit in the semi-professional event.